As hundreds of artists and music industry executives ponder their get-up for the 2024 ARIA Awards, Missy Higgins has more pressing things on her mind.
On Wednesday evening, November 20th, Higgins will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, an honour that sees her join an elite cadre which includes AC/DC, Nick Cave, Olivia Newton-John, and The Bee Gees.
The Hall of Fame moment typically includes an induction speech, another from the artist, and a performance. No pressure.
“It’s quite surreal, actually,” she tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ ahead of the ceremony, presented for the third consecutive year at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
“It’s not something that I had… like, I didn’t have it in my sights as a goal. If someone had mentioned it to me as a possibility, I would have thought, ‘oh, yeah, you know, way in the future. Maybe once I’m an old lady and my career is winding down. It’s nowhere near that. It’s not at all.”
She’s not wrong. At just 41, Missy is firing on all cylinders.
Her sixth and latest album The Second Act (via Eleven/EMI) dropped in September, and blasted straight to No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, her fourth leader after The Sound of White (from 2004), On a Clear Night (2007) and third LP The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle (2012).
With that effort, Higgins became only the seventh Australian artist in history to have No. 1 albums in at least three consecutive decades.
Elevation into the Hall of Fame, in her prime, “is why I feel even more honored,” Higgins continues. “I’ve been in the music industry about 23 years now. It’s a recognition of all those albums and shows and my contribution to the Australian music scene. It feels really wonderful to be recognised in that way.”
The beloved singer and songwriter could make a second trip to the ARIAs stage. She’s nominated for best live act, for her ‘The Second Act Tour’ 2024, produced by Frontier Touring. That trek continues with a run of encore shows, including three performances for the A Day on the Green series, and concerts early next month at Sydney Opera House and Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
“It’ll be a great way to finish out the year,” she enthuses. “It’s been an epic one.”
